Swede sounds

The Hives mix it up with Pharrell then hit the road

That buzzing sound you hear is the Hives, the best Swedish export since the Saab, overtaking competitors like the Strokes in the best garage-rock band sweepstakes.

The Hives have been touring tirelessly -- they play the Riviera Theatre on Friday -- and gaining ground for the past five years.

While the so-called garage-rock explosion of 2001 didn't really change much, the four leaders of the movement (the Strokes, White Stripes, the Hives and the Vines) racked up chart hits and developed strong, loyal fan bases.

"We planned what we were going to do very carefully," said Hives singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist. "See, because we Swedes are socialists, we believe in slow, steady, well-timed progress. The idea was to make a couple of albums to be played for 200-seat clubs, then create music for the many, many thousands."

On stage, the five-piece Hives make a rowdy, punk-infused rock 'n' roll noise that hasn't resulted in any constricted air space. Even unexpected dance numbers such as the Pharrell-produced "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." or the Addams Family-inspired "Puppet on a String" -- both from the band's fourth and most recent "Black and White Album" -- seem to fit the Hives' format.

"Pharrell was always saying he wanted to record with us," Almqvist said. "When we started this record, we finally just figured it'd be more fun to say yes than no. Hey, maybe we're just trying to sell out. Because the way the music business is going, this might be one of the last major-label rock records that anybody's gonna put out. So we thought we'd better spend a little money on it."

Coming out of Fagersta, Sweden, the Hives formed in 1993, but the band made its real breakthrough in the early part of this decade. Their rock aliases and dress code of black-and-white trousers and button-down shirts gave them a unique look. The high-energy, non-stop delivery only added to the appeal.

In the past, the quintet slaved over songs in rehearsals and in the studio until all five were satisfied. When it came to working with Pharrell, though, that changed. Pre-production time was cut in half.

"We thought he'd bring all these synths, samples and hip-hop beats," Almqvist says. "But he has this enthusiasm for rock music, because he only just discovered it. We were talking about Creedence Clearwater Revival, and he was going, 'Hey, I saw them on an infomercial last night and they sounded great!' Here we are, and we've been into Creedence since we were kids.